Page 30 - EngishLiteratureIII

Counterparts

He stood in a doorway opposite the office

watching to see if the cashier would come out

alone. All the clerks passed out and finally the

cashier came out with the chief clerk. It was no

use trying to say a word to him when he was with

the chief clerk. The man felt that his position was

bad enough. He had been obliged to offer an

abject apology to Mr Alleyne for his impertinence

but he knew what a hornet’s nest the office would

be for him. He could remember the way in which

Mr Alleyne had hounded little Peake out of the

office in order to make room for his own nephew.

He felt savage and thirsty and revengeful,

annoyed with himself and with everyone else. Mr

Alleyne would never give him an hour’s rest; his

life would be a hell to him. He had made a proper

fool of himself this time. Could he not keep his

tongue in his cheek? But they had never pulled

together from the first, he and Mr Alleyne, ever

since the day Mr Alleyne had overheard him

mimicking his North of Ireland accent to amuse

Higgins and Miss Parker: that had been the

beginning of it. He might have tried Higgins for the

money, but sure Higgins never had anything for

himself. A man with two establishments to keep

up, of course he couldn’t....

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